Going gorilla… uh… guerrilla… ok, a bad pun

Some thoughts on my ‘guerrilla marketing’ article for Startupsmart.com.au that allows SMEs to consider the phrase carpe diem in their own existence. Without freaking out.

What the hell is ‘guerrilla marketing’ anyway? As I found out recently, it’s basically what’s expected by any company or brand, big or small, in the current face-paced, multi-media environment that consumers find themselves in:

Take my dad for example. He’s just acquired an iPad, which doesn’t surprise me because he’s completely into anything that’s new. He likes stuff, whether it’s new tech gadgets or a teddy with the Ferrari symbol on it. But after receiving said iPad I received an email that simply said: “Matty, what do I do with this? What’s it for?”

What could I say? He could put music on it, but he’s already got an iPod. He could watch movies on it, but he’s got a kick-arse entertainment system. Apps? Has an iPhone. Presentations? Has a laptop. Photos? Has a Canon 10 mega pixel digital camera. And so on.

So what did I tell him? Nothing. I told him to explore it and see what happens. He loves it now.

New tech can scare many people. Sometimes all they want is reassurance that it’s not going to blow up in their face or allow some Nigerian scammer to steal their money. SME and big company marketers are in a similar boat (ha, like how I brought that around? No? Well… bugger you). There are so many new things happening at the moment, so many new platforms and media that marketers could utilise on top of the old tried-and-true avenues (TV, radio, outdoor, print), that I wouldn’t blame any of them for wanting to have a stiff drink and tune out. It’s tough out there, but heaven help the poor marketer who has to answer the CEO’s question: ‘Are we on Google + yet? I saw my daughter using it on her iPad while she was listening to her iPod, just after she finished playing with the Wii…”

Advice from this? Don’t. Freak. Out.

Take some time to understand the platform/gadget you’re thinking of utilising for your next campaign. If you have a product which people may not want to engage with on Facebook, don’t use it. If your customer feedback is that they don’t want text messages from you, regardless if they look awesome to you, don’t send one.

So that’s the ‘guerrilla marketing’ ethos: Be clever, be quick and don’t be scared.